Reliving Golgotha: The Passion Play of Iztapalapa

Reliving Golgotha: The Passion Play of Iztapalapa

by RCTrexler (Author)

Synopsis

In Reliving Golgotha , Richard Trexler brings a new perspective to religious spectacle in an exploration of the annual passion play at Iztapalapa, the largest and poorest borough of Mexico City. After tracing the history of European passion theatre, Trexler examines the process by which representations of the passion were established in the Americas, especially in New Spain. Indeed, the Iztapalapan pageant can only be understood in the full historical context of Mexican church and state relations. Originally, this passion was a quintessential means by which the increasingly marginalized indigenous population marked its own culture from the mestizo ruling class. Early 20th-century reenactments offered a tenaciously traditional spectacle, featuring Nahuatl-speaking actors, for a local audience who embraced it as a living protest against the pervasive power of the Church. A century later, political disorder and a suspicious church hierarchy often forced the suspension of the play in the aftermath of the Revolution. But by the middle of the century, political and religious authorities encouraged its development as a tourist event, and changes wrought by media coverage and the impact of government funding have further fractured the play's local identity. In addition to offering valuable insights into the political, social and psychological meanings of religious spectacle, Trexler illuminates the strong cultural forces that have helped provide a voice for some of Mexican society's most powerless members.

$52.84

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 302
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 06 May 2003

ISBN 10: 0674010647
ISBN 13: 9780674010642

Media Reviews
An original and innovative work, this fascinating account traces the history of Iztapalapa's annual reconstruction of Jesus' passion, in which you can see Mexico's past and present intersect with a vital piece, in fact a founding moment, of Christian history. Trexler notes that the play is strongly representative of a people that has no place within the power structures of Mexican society, and signifies, in many interesting ways, the struggles of these people with both the Catholic Church and the Mexican state.--Peter Sigal, California State University, Los Angeles
Author Bio
RICHARD C. TREXLER is Distinguished Professor of History, State University of New York, Binghamton.